What to Do When He Stops Texting (7 Ways to Deal)

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According to CNN, 6 billion texts are sent every day in the U.S. It’s clearly the most popular form of communication, but what should you do when the chatty guy you like all of a sudden stops being chatty? Here are 7 ways to deal with his silence:

1. Consider Moving On

If it’s been a long time since you two have talked, like 2+ weeks, you should think about moving on. One of the best ways to find a nice new guy is online dating. Our experts have tested numerous dating sites and found Match.com to be the #1 choice for single women.

Match has the largest user base and highest success rate of any other dating site and will help you find millions of available men — no matter if you’re looking for a date, relationship, or marriage. You can even try Match free for 3 days to see if it’s the right fit for you.

2. Don’t Take It Personally

If a guy has stopped texting you, the main thing to remember is to not blame yourself… or take it out on your phone by throwing it across the room. It’s not your fault. It’s not your phone’s fault. It’s not even the guy’s fault.

Most of the time people don’t mean to ignore text messages. We all forget to respond sometimes. He probably just got busy. Or he was with someone and didn’t want to be rude by texting. Or his phone died or got lost. Or maybe he’s not a fan of texting (people like that do exist).

When he hasn’t text you in a while, remember to not take it out on yourself… or your phone.

Whatever the reason, a guy not texting you back shouldn’t ruin your day. You’ll start running all of these nonexistent scenarios in your head (he ran into Taylor Swift in the checkout line at Whole Foods, and they fell in love and jetted off to Rio with nothing but the clothes on their backs and her cats). This kind of thinking will only drive you nuts.

3. Give Him Space

Perhaps the worst thing you could do when a guy stops texting you is to keep texting him. Back off for a little bit and see if he comes around. You need to give him the chance to actually miss hearing from you.

If you want a guy to respond to your texts, the worst thing you can do is keep texting him. Space is your friend.

Practice some self-control and don’t send more than 2 or 3 unanswered texts. When you do finally reach back out, it should be a happy, off-topic text. Don’t focus on the fact that he’s not replying.

If he does respond, wait a little while before sending something back. I’m not saying play games, but silence on your end will build mystery, making him more likely to continue the conversation.

4. Distract Yourself With Other Things

Bury yourself in work, go out with friends more often, start a new show on Netflix, actually make use of that gym membership — whatever you need to do to not think about him. This is the time to pay attention to the things in life that you might have put on hold while you were texting back and forth with him.

5. Try to Get Him to Do Something in Person

Men and women often communicate differently. While I could spend all day texting with my best friend, a guy would probably get annoyed (to say the least) if I text him about every little thing I’m doing.

Do what you can to get him off the phone and into the real world, even if it’s just for coffee.

He’d rather be with you in person than texting with you all day, so try to get him into the real world as quickly as possible. Avoid long texts and just ask him if he can meet you for a 5-minute coffee break.

6. Reach Out to Him in Another Way

If you’re following each other on Twitter, Instagram, or any other social site, send him a quick tweet or comment just to see what’s up. You’ll want this to be fun and casual so you don’t come off like a creepy stalker. Send him a funny article or a link to something that interests him and see how he reacts.

7. Straight-Up Ask Him Why He Stopped Texting

If you just can’t move on without knowing why he disappeared, then you can come straight out and ask him. However, you should be prepared to look needy in his eyes. And if something serious did happen that kept him from being able to text you, like someone in his family passed away, then you’ll probably feel terrible for doubting his intentions. Tread lightly with this one.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, you can never really know why someone stopped texting you. The only thing you can control is how you react to it. I know I don’t have the patience for flaky men, so I recommend finding a new guy on Match.com. No matter which route you take, remember that you deserve someone who cares about you enough to not leave you hanging.

As the editor-in-chief of DatingAdvice.com, I oversee content strategy, social media engagement, and media opportunities. When I'm not writing about cheese or my 20-year love affair with Leonardo DiCaprio, I'm listening to The Beatles, watching Harry Potter reruns (I'm a proud Slytherin!), or drinking IPAs.

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